The present invention relates to the rehabilitation of injuries to one side of the body, and more particularly to the rehabilitation of the legs of stroke victims.
Victims of stroke often sustain partial or complete loss of function of one of their legs. A physical therapist often assists such patients in recovering this function. One rehabilitative training device proposed by Wheeler in U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,336, includes a first and second foot support to secure the foot of a disabled leg of the patient and the therapist's opposite foot. A substantially vertical elongated member includes a pair of adjustable leg straps to secure the rehabilitation training device to the patient's and therapist's legs. Using this device, the therapist and patient walk in unison. Wheeler states that this allows the motion of the therapist's opposite foot and leg to reinforce the muscle and motor nerve response in the patient's non-functioning foot and leg.
Certain stretching exercises also exist to maintain the limberness of the patient's arms. In one such exercise, one arm is used to stretch the other arm.